Dutch authorities recall beef for possible horse meat

According to the Financial Times, Dutch authorities have ordered the recall of up to 50,000 tons of beef sold by two wholesalers to retailers across Europe because they suspect that it is contaminated with horse meat. The order is the largest move yet in the European horse meat scandal, which led to a continent-wide search for companies trading in contaminated meat after horse meat was discovered in frozen lasagna labeled to contain beef.

Announced by authorities on April 10, the order applies to meat sold by related Dutch wholesalers, Wiljo Import-Export and Willy Selten Meat Wholesalers, which are both based in the town of Oss. Authorities said they had sent letters to about 130 known clients of the two wholesalers in the Netherlands, telling them to trace any meat supplied by the two wholesalers. They had also written to 370 groups across Europe.

Authorities said inspections beginning in February carried out at Willy Selten’s meat warehouse in Oss revealed that beef had been mixed with cheaper horse meat. The recall order had stemmed from the results of these inspections, they added.